She insisted the best way to get more women in boardrooms was to use female leaders as role models.

The European Union have discussed introducing a 40 per cent female quota on the boards of listed companies.

It’s thought around 15 per cent of directors in UK firms are women.

Cameron agreed there was an issue with gender balance at the top of firms but felt quotas could be counter- productive.

She said: “It would be fundamentally wrong to force businesses to recruit females.

“Detailed analysis of successful companies has confirmed that in the majority of cases, their success was down to the fact that they recruited, trained and developed a mixed gender team at the top and throughout the organisation.

“We should be utilised more as role models for others to follow.

“The 26 chambers across Scotland have female directors in more than 35 per cent of posts and this is growing.”